You Can Now Stay in a Yurt in Mongolia With Airbnb
Airbnb has added its most remote rental listing yet: A stay in a yurt with a nomadic tribe of reindeer herders in Mongolia.
The rental listing in northern Mongolia is made possible by GPS company what3words, which maps every 10ft x 10ft square in the world with an address of three random words. This innovative technique makes it possible to pin down a remote nomadic tribe in the hills of Mongolia.
The listing looks like it has been active since May 2018. It invites guests to "spend 2 nights and 3 days with a Dukha family in the Taiga (winter forest) in northern Mongolia, stay in Teepee and herd (and ride) Reindeers." The rental rate is listed as £94 (about $120 USD) per night.
The accommodations are definitely rustic. "There will be 2 wooden beds, sleeping bags and open-fire stove," the listing states. "Hosts will use stove for heating the Teepee and preparing 3 meals a day. Main ingredients for the meals will be meat and noodles. If you have food restrictions, be sure bring your own food."
And as for a restroom, that is left to "nature!" the listing says. "Please bear in mind there won't be any toilet or bathroom as Dukha people move around the forest." But, if you are willing to brave the elements, the payoff for time spent in the remote wilderness seems to be worth it. "Since the Reindeer family will be located deep in the forest of Taiga, you will be surrounded by beautiful nature full of trees and wild animals," the post says.
There is one guest review posted on the page, and it is a rave.
"The reindeer herding family actually meets your group on horseback and reindeer to ascend the mountain to the teepee camp," a reviewer who stayed with the family in June, named Cameron, writes. "Once there you are greeted by the whole family and a freshly made reindeer milk tea is a once in a lifetime experience. Worth the journey... ...come a stranger, leave as part of the family. Tourists pay tens of thousands to get to close to reindeer, guests stay and live with them for a fraction of the price."
The listing does warn that the hosts will have limited knowledge of English.
If you do book a stay with the Dukha people, make sure you use one of the best cards for Airbnb.
All images by the host via Airbnb.
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